DODGERS NOTEBOOK: SHEFFIELD'S FINGER STILL A PROBLEM.

Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer

SAN FRANCISCO - Dodgers left fielder Gary Sheffield won't speak much of his ailing left index finger, but nearly three weeks after his return, others in the organization say it's clear he's hurting badly.

Marquis Grissom, Sheffield's closest friend on the club, said the two talk almost daily about the injured finger, and batting coach Jack Clark said it's keeping Sheffield from working as much as he'd prefer.

Sheffield missed 19 games from May 24 through June 8 with a torn ligament in his finger. The time off allowed partial healing to take place, but it remains swollen and his bat control is lacking.

``We'll be playing catch, and all of a sudden he'll want to take his glove off when he catches it wrong, so the finger hasn't gotten any better to me,'' Grissom said. ``It probably feels better when he doesn't do anything, but soon as you get jammed one time, it's going to vibrate (the bat) and it's going to hurt. But he's not complaining. He's still playing and that's what I applaud him for.''

Whether the ligament is still torn is not known because an MRI was not done when Sheffield returned to the lineup, trainer Stan Johnston said. Sheffield hurt the finger April 25 but played for a month before going on the disabled list.

``It's still bothering him,'' Clark said. ``I can't see someone who swings as hard as he does and puts as much torque in a swing as he does and have it be able to heal. All you can do is battle it. He's frustrated. He has a program before the game he does to get himself ready. I know it's really frustrating for him to take some swings and have it get more sore.''

With a lineup already missing Eric Karros and Mark Grudzielanek, Sheffield isn't interested in a repeat appearance on the disabled list, so he plays through the pain. However, it's impacted his productivity.

Sheffield, who batted .313 in his first two-plus seasons with the Dodgers, entered Tuesday's game against the Giants batting .235 with three homers and nine RBI since returning from the disabled list.

``The reason I don't want to talk about it is because it's a constant reminder,'' Sheffield said. ``This game is mental and you try to not think about injuries and think about things that are going wrong and try to make them excuses as to why you're not doing certain things.''

--Karros' status uncertain: Karros, in Los Angeles with a back injury, took 50 swings in the Dodger Stadium batting cage, but that meant little in regards to the stiff back that has kept him out of the three-game series at San Francisco. Karros' problem is fielding his position, and Dodgers manager Jim Tracy said there's no answer yet as to how he's doing there.

There's also no answer as to whether Karros has avoided his second stint on the 15-day disabled list this season.

``There are a lot of things that would be involved as far as a return is concerned,'' Tracy said. ``The bending, the types of throws he receives from infielders. Things like that. These are all things that come into play that we have to be 100 percent sure of before we venture back out there again.''

--Odds and ends: Second baseman Mark Grudzielanek (sprained left ankle) ran the bases and is expected to come off the disabled list Thursday. ... Chan Ho Park reeled off his 13th consecutive quality start in Monday's loss to the Giants, but it hasn't translated into a bundle of wins. He's 6-4 with a 2.54 ERA in those 13 games. ... Incidentally, Angel Pena is batting .360 with four homers and six RBI in six games with Las Vegas. Right-hander Eric Gagne is 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA in two starts for Las Vegas. ... Jeff Reboulet started at shortstop for the second time since injuring his hamstring June 11. The other was last Tuesday when he was still bothered by a sore hamstring, but Tracy didn't want Alex Cora facing Arizona's Randy Johnson.

DODGERS vs. SAN FRANCISCO

Time: 4:05 p.m., at Pac Bell Park.

TV/Radio: Fox Sports Net 2; 1150-AM, 1330-AM (Spanish).

Matchup: The Dodgers conclude their three-game series with the Giants with RH Terry Adams (2-2, 5.33 ERA) in search of his first decision as a starter. Adams has a 5.66 ERA in four starts. He's allowed 23 hits and struck out 24 in 20 2/3 innings. He's walked six. RH Livan Hernandez (6-9, 6.22) will start for the Giants. He's allowed 17 homers and is 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA in two starts against the Dodgers this season, but he's pitched well lately. He's 3-1 with a 4.83 ERA in four June starts.

- Brian Dohn

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DODGERS vs. SAN FRANCISCO (see text)